The present invention relates to the technical field of a digital image processing, and more specifically, to an image processing apparatus and a photoprinter using the same that can perform effective and appropriate processing in accordance with a job intended by the photoprinter in the print manufacturing, and the like.
Most of the images recorded on photographic films such as negatives and reversals (which are hereinafter referred to as “films”) are conventionally printed onto light-sensitive materials (photographic papers) by a technique generally called “direct exposure” in which the image on a film is projected onto the light-sensitive material for a real exposure.
A printer that adopts digital exposure has recently been commercialized. In this “digital photoprinter”, the image recorded on a film is read photoelectronically and converted into digital signals, which are subjected to various kinds of image processing to produce recording image data; a light-sensitive material is exposed by scanning with recording light modulated in accordance with the image data, thereby recording a (latent) image which is then processed photoelectronically to produce a (photographic) print.
Having these features, the digital photoprinter is composed of the following three basic components: a scanner (image reading apparatus) which applies reading light onto a film and reads the light projected therefrom, thereby photoelectronically reading the image recorded on a film; an image processing apparatus which performs predetermined processing to the image data read with the scanner and to the image data supplied from a digital camera and the like to obtain the image data of an recorded image, that is, exposing conditions; a printer (image recording apparatus) which scan exposes a light-sensitive material with, for example, a light beam in accordance with the image data supplied from the image processing apparatus and records a latent image; and a processor (developing apparatus) which subjects the light-sensitive material exposed by the printer to development processing and manufactures a (finished) print on which the image is reproduced.
According to the digital photoprinter, since an image can be appropriately processed as digital image data, it is preferably subjected to gradation adjustment, color balance adjustment, color/density adjustment, sharpness processing, and the like. Accordingly, a print of high quality that cannot be obtained by conventional direct exposure can be obtained.
Moreover, the digital photoprinter can output not only the image recorded on a (photographic) film but also the image photographed by a digital camera and the like, the image data recorded on a recording medium such as a MO (magneto-optical recording medium) and the like, the image data obtained through a communication device such as internet and the like as a print.
Incidentally, a different performance is required to the digital photoprinter depending upon how the digital photoprinter is used in print manufacturer such as a photo-labo and the like where prints are manufactured.
For example, a print shop the sales talk of which is to manufacture a print at a low price often puts an emphasis on productivity even if the quality of an image reproduced on a print is somewhat sacrificed.
Inversely, in a print of a photograph taken by a photo studio and in a print; manufactured by a photo-print shop to which many custom prints are ordered, an emphasis is ordinarily put on the quality of the image reproduced on a print even if productivity is somewhat sacrificed.
However, there is a contradiction between the above requirements in a sense, that is, in general, when one of the performances is increased, the other thereof is decreased.
For example, an image of high quality can be obtained by the execution of time-consuming accurate image processing at the sacrifice of productivity, whereas when an emphasis is put on productivity, it is preferable not to perform time-consuming image processing with a result of deteriorated image quality.
Accordingly, the performance of a conventional photoprinter is set to satisfy various kinds of required characteristics such as image quality, productivity, and the like on average, which is a reason why print manufactures are not satisfied with the performance of the conventional photoprinter sometimes.